A lot of guitar players tell me that they understand guitar music theory, scales and soloing, but they struggle with rhythms and timing. They often ask for advice on developing good rhythm and time. I hope to produce instructional material that deals with developing rhythm and timing someday. Until then, I recommend guitarists learn the basics of reading music.

Learning about note values, rests, time signatures, counting and foot tapping can really help your playing, even if you don’t plan to sight read much. I’d try to get through Mel Bay grades 1, 2 and 3 or something similar. Be sure to use the companion DVDs and play along CDs that are available for the books.

Also, it might be worth working with an experienced instructor since standard musical notation may be completely foreign to you. You want to make sure you’re doing it right and not reinforcing any bad habits.

I hope this helps.

Play Until Yer Fingers Bleed!
Mr. Desi Serna
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